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This stylish travelling show features three Australian designers
who work in aluminium. In the order in which you encounter them in
the three exhibition bays, they are Andrew Last, Frank Bauer and
Robert Foster.

You have to do your own research into, or bring your knowledge
of, their careers as complete CVs are not included in the
associated publication.

And contrary to the notice at the entrance to the exhibition,
the publication - by the Perth-based contemporary craft and design
body, Form (formerly Craft West) - is not a catalogue as it does
not include a list of the works exhibited.

Among them are: three large platter/bowls, a hanging light
fitting and eight pendant necklaces by Last; 10 wall light
sculptures by Bauer; and a hanging light, four vitrines containing
functional objects such as kitchen canisters, and six wall lights,
three of them unlabelled, by Foster. The works were made in the
past three years.

In addition to the wall texts and mural-size photographs of the
makers that "brand" the three displays, a continuous projection on
the back wall introduces them in their own words, in their workshop
environments: Foster beats a panel into submission, lunging at it
with a rubber mallet; Last discovers a computer program to help him
translate forms found in nature into geometry; Bauer conveys a
concern with precision in manufacture allied to a gut reaction
guiding his design decisions.

This is all well and useful, but a terrific opportunity to put
these makers' work into a historical context has been missed.

Instead, aluminium itself is the theme of the show. Who cares?
This is not a pavilion in a primary industries show. Designers have
worked in aluminium since the 19th century.

The museum's own holdings include a wonderful prototype of a
delivery van with an aluminium body, the Deliverette, manufactured
by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corp at Fishermans Bend in 1947. The
Korean War put an end to further development.

Contextualising the contemporary exhibits with some historical
works such as this would have had the long-term benefit of alerting
viewers to aspects of the permanent collections from which they
were drawn (perhaps including pieces from the NGV, or the
Powerhouse in Sydney).

It would also have enabled them to assess the relevance of the
craft-based works by Last and Foster, and bring to life Bauer's
Bauhaus legacy - his father was a student there.

The guidelines for just such a show are in Suzette Worden's
(professor of design, Curtin University) excellent essay, The
Appeal of Aluminium, in the publication mentioned above.